1870 3CS Three Cent Silver, Judd-798, Pollock-885, Low R.7, PR65
Brown NGC.
Design. The obverse design, attributed to William Barber,
features a seated figure of Liberty facing left and supporting a
shield in her right hand, an olive branch in her left. A
free-standing Liberty pole is present behind the shield. The
reverse is the same design used to coin regular issue three cent
silver pieces. Struck in copper with a plain edge.
Commentary. In the ninth edition of Judd, Dave Bowers calls
this pattern (in all metals and edges) a "numismatic curiosity."
The obverse was intended to be part of the Standard Silver series,
and should never have been muled with the three cent silver
reverse. Since the obverse die was meant for a half dime and the
two denominations had diameters that differed by about 1.4 mm, the
reverse has a wide border for the coin's size. The Judd-798 pattern
is considered Low R.7 in the ninth edition of Judd, Low R.7 at
USPatterns.com, and R.7 in Pollock. These differing rarity ratings
indicate that about eight to 10 pieces exist today.
Physical Description. Both sides have outstanding chestnut and
mahogany color with faint iridescent toning and fully reflective
surfaces. A few tiny spots and other blemishes are evident on each
side. NGC Census: 1 in PR65 Brown, 2 finer, including 1 PR65
Red and Brown and 1 PR66 Red and Brown. PCGS Population: 1
in PR65 Brown, 3 finer, including 2 graded PR65 Red and 1 graded
PR66 Red (12/08).